How many appetizers should I serve before dinner?
Appetizers served before a buffet or full dinner are OPTIONAL. They just fill-in, helping the really hungry and the guests who are enjoying co*cktails. They DO reduce the intake of dinner food, but only about 10%. If you do choose to serve an appetizer, consider what will be served at the following meal and try to select complementary foods. Make the job simpler by choosing items you can prepare ahead and serve easily.
You do not have to serve a big variety or large amounts; 6-8 “bites” or taste portions per person per hour is a ball park figure. Caterers often plan a minimum of 4 different choices for groups of 25-100 or more, adding an additional choice for each 25 people.
A good rule of thumb for a dinner party, allow for 6 appetizers per person. For a co*cktail party consider making 12 appetizers per person.
What should I serve and why?
Veggies, crackers, chips are inexpensive fill-ins appetizer selections. They fill people up and keep well if not used. Be sure to provide at least one tasty dip. Marinated vegetables provide an attractive alternative to the usual carrots-broccoli-cauliflower-ranch dressing platters.
People will eat less if they have to assemble their own appetizers. Chunks of cheese, cheese balls, and make it yourself sandwiches disappear more slowly than cubes of cheese and pre-made tea sandwiches. Try to allow for some extra serving space because people will cluster around these stations.
Except for a few highly desirable items such as shrimp, roast beef and caviar, the more selections you add, the less amount of each item you will need. As you add more items to your menu, reduce the amounts of each accordingly.
Thinner sliced meats, cheeses and veggies and fruit, give you more servings per pound.
Decorate your plates and platters attractively, green leaf lettuce, kale, parsley and edible flowers.
Use toothpicks and small skewers to form interesting presentations. Thin stick pretzels make useful skewers for cheese bites and other dry items.
Deviled eggs, smoked salmon or oysters, tiny open faced sandwiches, are easy and appealing.
Meatballs or tiny sausages in a sauce or a hot spread for dipping can be served in a chafing dish or crock pot/ slow cooker.
Do not attempt individual hot appetizers unless you have adequate oven space and help. If you can only cook a pan of 20 at one time and each pan takes 20 minutes, they are not practical for large parties. Having an equal number of hot and cold foods available is also helpful so that while one appetizer is heating in the oven, a cold one can be circulating, keeping everyone nibbling happily.
FAQs
This seems like a straightforward question, but there are a few factors that go into this delicious calculation. “Typically, I plan for 4 to 8 pieces per guest, with an average of 6 pieces,” says Curtis. Here's how she breaks things down from there.
How many appetizers per person for a co*cktail party? ›
If you only have an hour in between, it's safe to only have a couple different options available, totaling about six pieces per guest. If you will be longer than an hour, more is always better. Consider having four to five different options during your co*cktail hour, totaling eight to ten pieces per guest.
How do you calculate the number of appetizers per person? ›
How many bites per person? If you're hosing 25 -35 guests, plan 3-4 bites per person if a full dinner is to be served afterwards, or 5-7 bites per person if a lighter meal will be served. If you're hosting a party of 50, then you can offer 6 to 9 different items.
How much food per person for a co*cktail party? ›
Numbers are so much easier to work with, so here goes: Plan up to 10 bites per person for the first hour of the party. Plan up to 7 bites per person for each hour after that.
What is the standard rule of serving appetizers? ›
Caterers often plan a minimum of 4 different choices for groups of 25-100 or more, adding an additional choice for each 25 people. A good rule of thumb for a dinner party, allow for 6 appetizers per person.
How many horderves for 50 people? ›
Quantity. A good rule of thumb when working with your caterer on just how many hors d'oeuvres to choose is as follows: for 10 – 12 guests a minimum of 5 selections, 25 guests a minimum of 9 selections and for 50 guests, a minimum of 13 selections.
How many appetizers for 40 people? ›
If you are serving just appetizers and not a main course, you need a selection for your guests to choose from which if it's 40, best to go with 6–8 different items. Having said that, the selection would also be from cold, room temperature to hot food items.
How many finger foods for a party? ›
co*cktail Party - Allow 4-6 pieces per hour per person - where the finger food is served in place of a meal. You will serve more pieces per hour in the first 2 hours and less per hour after that. Remember snacks with meat and fried foods are more filling.
How do you estimate a party for hors d oeuvres? ›
As a rule of thumb, most guests will consume 8 to 10 bite-size pieces for every 60 to 90 minutes of a party. However, the larger the variety of offerings, the more hors doeuvres that will be consumed because everyone will want to try at least one of each item.
How much finger food for 80 guests? ›
Lunch or dinner event
When catering a meal time event, where finger food will constitute the entire meal, we recommend serving 8-12 savoury canapés per person. Ideally this selection will include 2-4 of the larger finger food options - such as bao buns, roast beef dinner rolls or fish tacos.
Leslie Levin Nilsson, creative director of catering company Bartleby & Sage, says, "We suggest six passed hors d'oeuvres for a wedding of 50-100 guests, seven to eight passed hors d'oeuvres for a wedding of 100-150 guests, and up to ten for very large weddings."
How to plan a menu for a co*cktail party? ›
co*cktail Party Food
It's not intended to be dinner, so you don't need to plan a full course meal for a co*cktail party. Simple foods, such as hors d'oeuvres and finger foods, allow guests to nibble throughout the event as they feel the need.
How do you calculate appetizers? ›
More than 6 appetizers per person are too many. You don't want to fill your guests' bellies before dinner. Generally, you will need enough for each guest to eat 2 of each type of appetizer you serve. For very large parties, you can lower this to 1.5 servings per person per appetizer.
What is the basic rule in hors d oeuvres? ›
Hors d'oeuvres are defined as "apart from the main work" and served before sitting down to meal service. They may be hot or cold items. Because they are usually eaten while standing, hors d'oeuvres should be finger food that can be eaten without the use of utensils.
How many appetizers plates per person? ›
For instance, guests can have three plates (dinnerware) at a formal corporate dinner. On the other hand, three appetizer plates (plus drinkware) would be ideal for each invitee at a co*cktail party. Also, 2.5 dinner plates, two appetizer plates, and 1.5 dessert plates are preferable per guest for a buffet dinner.
How much finger food for 30 guests? ›
When catering a meal time event, where finger food will constitute the entire meal, we recommend serving 8-12 savoury canapés per person. Ideally this selection will include 2-4 of the larger finger food options - such as bao buns, roast beef dinner rolls or fish tacos.
How many trays of food for 40 guests? ›
For 40 guests, you may need around 4-5 trays of food, depending on the dish and the serving size.
